Australian firm EOS has received an Indian order for a single R800 naval remote weapon station (RWS). The order valued at between A$1-2 million (US$700,000-1.4 million) was placed by a large, established Indian prime contractor, and it marks EOS’ first sale into India.
According to the Australian company, this is only the second sale of its new, heavy-calibre R800 system to a customer for evaluation.
EOS will supply the RWS along with platform/weapon integration services and demonstration/trial support. The company will work with the prime contractor and end-users during 2026-27 to support platform integration and trials.
EOS, along with the Indian prime contractor, is targeting an end-user requirement for more than 130 systems. While the R800 RWS typically mounts a Bushmaster Mk44S 30x173mm cannon with a coaxial machine gun, the Indian requirement will likely feature a different armament.
The R800 RWS also has mounting points for surface-to-air missiles, antitank guided missiles and additional effectors.
The Indian Navy (IN) and Indian Coast Guard (ICG) are eyeing the procurement of a 30mm naval surface gun for fitment aboard small ships as their primary weapon, and on large ships as a secondary weapon for engaging fast-moving surface targets/boats.
The Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) issued an expression of interest (EoI) in December 2025 for the acquisition of such 30mm guns with an electro-optical fire control system. As per the EoI, contenders need to develop a single prototype RWS.
A total of 97 systems are to be supplied to the IN and 30 to the ICG. Sixty-seven weapons will be acquired from the L1 bidder, while the remaining 30 are to be supplied by the L2/L3 bidder.
The Indian MoD has been accelerating the acquisition of RWS for the IN and ICG. In February 2024 it inked a contract with state-owned corporation Advanced Weapon Equipment India Limited (AWEIL) Kanpur for the supply of 463 12.7mm stabilised remote-controlled guns worth INR17.5 billion (US$213 million).
The lightweight, dual-axis 12.7mm weapon stations are being manufactured in India under license from Elbit Systems. They will allow naval and coast guard vessels to engage small targets, especially in asymmetric environments.
More than 125 domestic vendors are part of the programme, which aims to achieve an indigenisation level of more than 85% by 2029.
by Mike Rajkumar
